Summary (1996 - Granada - Dakar)

In search of more difficult terrain, organiser Hubert Auriol, who had won the 1992 Paris - Sirte - Cape Town, once again laid out a route from Granada to Dakar, which contained even more deadly marathon sections than the previous year, as well as a few hard days in the scorching heat of the Mauritanian desert, where temperatures reach up to 45°C. It was an event of contrasts for the Mitsubishi team, for the Pajero was plagued by misfortune, yet Fontenay still climbed onto the podium in third place and continued the standard that had established itself over  the years. But in the end Mitsubishi had plenty to celebrate, as the Mitsubishis achieved a 1-2-3 victory in the class for standard cars on the marathon section, on which almost no modifications to the cars are permitted. The winner of the trio was Jean-Pierre Strugo, who had relied on the eminent durability of the production-based Pajero. As a small consolation for the setback at the Dakar, Fontenay won the second leg of the Paris - Moscow - Beijing rally in the T2 class, prevailing against all the prototypes.

Final standings

Pos.	No.	Driver	Manufacturer	Overall time
1	186	Metge / LeMoyne	Porsche 959	41.26.45
2	185	Ickx / Brasseur	Porsche 959	+ 01.45.27
3	190	Rigal / Maingret	Mitsubishi Pajero	+ 04.59.19
4	198	Lartigue / Giroux	Lada Niva	+ 07.28.32
5	188	Cowan / Syer	Mitsubishi Pajero	+ 07.30.33
6	187	Kussmaul / Unger	Porsche 959	+ 07.39.34
7	189	Zaniroli / Da Silva	Mitsubishi Pajero	+ 13.39.07
8	193	Gabreau / Pipat	Range Rover	+ 14.48.45
9	223	Bouchet / Villepigue	Toyota FJ6	+ 17.11.03
10	401	Gierst / Bouvy	Range Rover	+ 19.42.57